Rubio: If Europeans want to be allies of the United States, they must follow Trump's path. German Foreign Minister Criticizes France's Efforts on Defense Spending as "Inadequate," Calls for "Savings" in Social Security Expenditure

According to AFP, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on France to "save money," especially "in the social sector," to "create the necessary fiscal space to achieve the goal of core European defense capabilities." This goal, which was promoted by US President Trump within NATO, is to allocate 5% of GDP to security spending by 2035.

The report states that in a program on German public radio, when asked about the proposal by the French president to fund defense or artificial intelligence investments through European joint debt, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul spoke openly. He stated that Emmanuel Macron "correctly mentioned our pursuit of European sovereignty." However, he said, "Whoever says this should take corresponding actions in their own country. The efforts made by the French Republic so far are not sufficient to achieve this goal."

European Defense Commitments

In June 2025, the 32 NATO member states committed to allocating 5% of their GDP to defense, a goal pushed by Donald Trump. Wadephul believes that France's neighbors have "room for improvement" in this regard and that France should do more, even saving money in the social sector to "create the necessary fiscal space to achieve the goal of core European defense capabilities."

Wadephul also said he "looks forward to" another speech by President Macron in late February 2026, during which the issue of European defense sovereignty will be discussed, particularly regarding the Russian threat and the tension between the US and Europe, proposing an idea for European nuclear deterrence.

Deepening Divisions Between Two Major European Allies

Another major point of contention is the issue of shared debt at the European level. Paris supports this option, but Germany rejects it. Berlin believes that spending commitments should remain at the national level. According to Pascal Thibaut, a reporter from Deutsche Welle in Berlin, the Germans suspect that France wants to use European bonds to solve its own budget problems. Wadephul's remarks reveal Germany's dissatisfaction and the growing divisions with Paris in recent weeks.

Germany plans to invest over 500 billion euros into the military before 2029, with a clear goal: building a European army to counter the Russian threat and the US withdrawal. At the Munich Security Conference this weekend, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio clearly stated: "If Europeans want to be allies of the United States, they must follow Trump's path."

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1857294975720460/

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